1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of the play NOT THE FILM of Real Women Have Curves. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” It’s a minute before 7am and mother Carmen and daughter Ana enter the fabric company. It’s the first day of the work week, Monday, September 7th, during the year 1987. Carmen turns off the radio music and goes to inspect an empty mousetrap. The environment is described as dangerous with its streets, “full of winos and drug addicts.” Estela, another of Carmen’s daughters and the owner of the business, later emerges from a blanket. The other workers, Pancha and Rosali, who are not blood related to Carmen, also eventually come in. The dramatic situation is that they have a very large order of dresses to fill, but are running low on cash and are having a difficult time completing it (evident by their past dress orders not getting done on time)
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? The intrusion is the reveal that Estela is being sued for not keeping up with the payments on the machines. This, in turn, sets a deadline and is the cause for everyone’s participation. Without this pressure to get it done, the characters may not have become so irritable with one another (since they have to work harder and the building is hot), Ana wouldn’t have had to been hired, and there wouldn’t be a necessarily set goal for the end of the play.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? This is the day Ana decides to share her story. The final words, a monologue of sorts, are Ana explaining that she now proudly wears Estella’s boutique clothes, thus suggesting she’s telling this from the future. With the addition of Ana’s diary, it’s fair to say that a lot of the story she is retelling from her journal. Maybe she was right, maybe she made it for when she, “becomes rich and famous”
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) Will they finish the dresses in time and get paid so that Estela, the only one in the group who is not yet legal, to be taken to court? Or will the immigration forces raid them before they even meet their deadline?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles. a. Me against myself: Ana must face her devotion to stay and help out her family versus going off and pursuing her dream. Her mother wants her to get married and have kids. Ana uses her diary as a way to talk through situations in her head and on the paper. Sometimes she contradicts her emotions page to page. b. Me against another individual: Although not as direct as it is in the movie, Ana’s mother Carmen is the one she is most in disput with. The scene that most comes to mind is when Ana tries taking off her clothes in the factory.. However, her mother hits back, explaining that it is unlady like and calling her fat. Ana uses the moment to empower everyone else to take off their clothes and show her mother that they all should love their bodies. c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.): Ana faces society in a number of ways. For starters, the play focuses a lot on the character’s legal positions as immigrants to the U.S. The law is something Ana has not had to fear as much as the other women, but is still very much aware of. In terms of fighting social norms, Ana is completely on top of it. In multiple accounts in the play Ana is seen standing up for her love in herself, her body, and what she believes in. Even when that comes to fighting against her own family about her opinions. d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods: Fate has not just Ana, but all the women, on their highest alert. Every instances that a van is seen passing by could mean the risk of them staying there or being deported and possibly never seeing their family again. One could also go to the extent of saying natural forces/geographical positions comes into play when talking about the heat of the building. If it were colder outside, a fan wouldn’t be needed and the instance of everyone complaining about the temperature may be diminished. On the other hand, living in a warmer environment means that people are more likely to buy dresses. Dresses are often times hugging clothing that shows a person’s body and their curves. A warmer environment, therefore, may completely change the opinions of body shape.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves. One of the more memorable moments is when Ana convinces everyone to take off their clothes and compare bodies. Another theatrical moment to consider could be when Rosali faints. It is later revealed that it wasn’t just because she was being overworked in the hot building, but that she wasn’t eating enough to make herself thinner. Her want to diet and weight less show just how extreme women were, and still are, willing to go. Even in the instances where friends and family urge them not to, they still feel the only way to gain love and be successful is to be able to fit in the dresses that they make. Another moment is when Pancha and Estela get physical and almost strike one another. By the end of the play one can see that the relationship has significantly changed from this theatrical moment of them fighting to Pancha coming back to work and giving up her check to help ensure Estela is safe.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) Real Women Have Curves is how the play ends, it is the name Estela decides to brand as her new clothes line.
The red dress: The red dress is the first glimpse of the start to Estela’s new clothing line. This dress shows color and focused on something different. It's the catalysis and beginnings of their success.
Ana’s Diary: Ana uses her diary as a way to show viewers her feelings. She says it’s for “when I become rich and famous”, which both shows her aspirations, but also shows that society has made it seem as if the only way to get around is to be rich and famous
The over-lock: its job is to keep the materials from coming apart. At the beginning, Rosali is the only one who knows how to set it up. The overlock shows both how they are able to come back together (as they work together to get it to work) and reinforces that trying something new (such as a new kind of clothing line or a new piece of equipment) can work out in one's favor.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
Color: Many objects are defined by their color in this play. The green van, the red dress, the pink dresses, the black police car, and their green card. Color is a theme for this play because it's a way for them to point out how, in society, things are often distinguished by color. And that the same is also applied, in usually a negative way, to people.
Feminism: Unlike the movie, the play has no male characters come into view nor speak a line. Even when they are mentioned, it’s in a negative light. Another way this play shows feminism is that the women are the workers. They work late hours, even overnight, in order to get things done.
Body Positivity: Ana is the main center for this theme. She empowers the other women to love themselves, which is the eventual spark for Estella to make a bigger sized clothing line.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why? Out of all the plays we’ve been through, this one may be the most directly family oriented. The whole reason Carmen and Ana are there is because they want to help support family, and even by the end one can still see this as they both offer their checks to help Estela. Pan ha and Rosali, although not bloodline, act and care for the others as if family. However, this is more observable because, in the beginning, Pancha says she wouldn't offer money to help Estela, but by the end she does.
It’s a minute before 7am and mother Carmen and daughter Ana enter the fabric company. It’s the first day of the work week, Monday, September 7th, during the year 1987. Carmen turns off the radio music and goes to inspect an empty mousetrap. The environment is described as dangerous with its streets, “full of winos and drug addicts.” Estela, another of Carmen’s daughters and the owner of the business, later emerges from a blanket. The other workers, Pancha and Rosali, who are not blood related to Carmen, also eventually come in. The dramatic situation is that they have a very large order of dresses to fill, but are running low on cash and are having a difficult time completing it (evident by their past dress orders not getting done on time)
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is the reveal that Estela is being sued for not keeping up with the payments on the machines. This, in turn, sets a deadline and is the cause for everyone’s participation. Without this pressure to get it done, the characters may not have become so irritable with one another (since they have to work harder and the building is hot), Ana wouldn’t have had to been hired, and there wouldn’t be a necessarily set goal for the end of the play.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
This is the day Ana decides to share her story. The final words, a monologue of sorts, are Ana explaining that she now proudly wears Estella’s boutique clothes, thus suggesting she’s telling this from the future. With the addition of Ana’s diary, it’s fair to say that a lot of the story she is retelling from her journal. Maybe she was right, maybe she made it for when she, “becomes rich and famous”
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will they finish the dresses in time and get paid so that Estela, the only one in the group who is not yet legal, to be taken to court? Or will the immigration forces raid them before they even meet their deadline?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
a. Me against myself: Ana must face her devotion to stay and help out her family versus going off and pursuing her dream. Her mother wants her to get married and have kids. Ana uses her diary as a way to talk through situations in her head and on the paper. Sometimes she contradicts her emotions page to page.
b. Me against another individual: Although not as direct as it is in the movie, Ana’s mother Carmen is the one she is most in disput with. The scene that most comes to mind is when Ana tries taking off her clothes in the factory.. However, her mother hits back, explaining that it is unlady like and calling her fat. Ana uses the moment to empower everyone else to take off their clothes and show her mother that they all should love their bodies.
c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.): Ana faces society in a number of ways. For starters, the play focuses a lot on the character’s legal positions as immigrants to the U.S. The law is something Ana has not had to fear as much as the other women, but is still very much aware of. In terms of fighting social norms, Ana is completely on top of it. In multiple accounts in the play Ana is seen standing up for her love in herself, her body, and what she believes in. Even when that comes to fighting against her own family about her opinions.
d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods: Fate has not just Ana, but all the women, on their highest alert. Every instances that a van is seen passing by could mean the risk of them staying there or being deported and possibly never seeing their family again. One could also go to the extent of saying natural forces/geographical positions comes into play when talking about the heat of the building. If it were colder outside, a fan wouldn’t be needed and the instance of everyone complaining about the temperature may be diminished. On the other hand, living in a warmer environment means that people are more likely to buy dresses. Dresses are often times hugging clothing that shows a person’s body and their curves. A warmer environment, therefore, may completely change the opinions of body shape.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
One of the more memorable moments is when Ana convinces everyone to take off their clothes and compare bodies. Another theatrical moment to consider could be when Rosali faints. It is later revealed that it wasn’t just because she was being overworked in the hot building, but that she wasn’t eating enough to make herself thinner. Her want to diet and weight less show just how extreme women were, and still are, willing to go. Even in the instances where friends and family urge them not to, they still feel the only way to gain love and be successful is to be able to fit in the dresses that they make.
Another moment is when Pancha and Estela get physical and almost strike one another. By the end of the play one can see that the relationship has significantly changed from this theatrical moment of them fighting to Pancha coming back to work and giving up her check to help ensure Estela is safe.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
Real Women Have Curves is how the play ends, it is the name Estela decides to brand as her new clothes line.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
Out of all the plays we’ve been through, this one may be the most directly family oriented. The whole reason Carmen and Ana are there is because they want to help support family, and even by the end one can still see this as they both offer their checks to help Estela. Pan ha and Rosali, although not bloodline, act and care for the others as if family. However, this is more observable because, in the beginning, Pancha says she wouldn't offer money to help Estela, but by the end she does.